NASHVILLE – After 157 days of waiting, the Boys in Gold are back.
Nashville SC is set to take on FC Dallas on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. CT to kick off a two-match set in the Lone Star State that marks the resumption of Major League Soccer’s 25th regular season. It will be Nashville SC’s third match of its inaugural season, having last played on March 8 on the road at the Portland Timbers.
This week’s pair of matches between Nashville and FC Dallas will make up for two of the three matches each club missed at the MLS is Back Tournament.
Here’s all you need to know about Wednesday’s match:
Date: Wednesday, August 12
Time: 7:30 p.m. CT
Location: Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
TV: MyTV30
Stream: ESPN+ (Blackout restrictions apply)
English Radio: 102.5 The Game, 94.9 ESPN Radio
Spanish Radio: El Jefe 96.7
Nashville SC is proud to partner with Fox 17, MyTV30 and CW58 of Nashville, TN as the official television broadcast partner. As the club returns to play, matches will be televised in market on MyTV30, while fans outside of the television territory can access matches on ESPN+. For fans who do not have access to a cable provider, all matches are free via antenna on MyTV30. For streamers outside of the Nashville-area, they can watch them on ESPN+ ($5.99 a month). Except for those Nashville SC regular season matches televised nationally, all live matches will be blacked out in the Club's home television territory.
Coverage on MyTV30 begins at 7 p.m. CT with the Prematch Show, and be sure to stick around after for postmatch coverage immediately following the final whistle.
Storylines to Watch
Third Match Jitters? – With just two matches under its belt in MLS before an unexpected 157-day layoff, Nashville SC will be looking to get comfortable quickly on Wednesday night. Even though the club has now gone through a series of training camps, Head Coach Gary Smith anticipates that there could be some rust to shake off.
“We've gone through what could be described as three preseasons, hoping after each one that we were going to be able to compete and maybe string some fixtures together,” Smith said. “When you look at the way the Orlando tournament unfolded, there were some games that we might all have looked at and said the players look a little bit rusty, and certainly not playing at the sort of pace and speed that you might normally expect. And you may well imagine that you could say that on Wednesday.
Smith will also keep the players’ stamina in mind as he plans his rotations and lineups for this week.
“What I will say is that both teams will certainly be in the right frame of mind, I'm sure,” Smith said. “And I think beyond these two games, whilst they're for points and there's a schedule for both of us to start getting involved in, we'll both be very appreciative of where the players are at and exactly what we expect out of the game, whilst also being very cognizant of the fact that the players health is at stake here as well. And our guys have been out longer than any other team in MLS. So certainly an angle in the way we've prepared and my mindset will be who is ready for 90 minutes, and who can really stretch that far and not push too much.”
Welcome Back to Texas – Nashville SC’s roster features plenty of FC Dallas connections. Defender Walker Zimmerman, Midfielder Dax McCarty and Forward Dominique Badji have all played for FC Dallas in their careers. Badji was traded to Nashville this winter from Dallas after a couple of seasons with the club.
Zimmerman was drafted by Dallas and began his career there, so he’s excited to return to his old stomping grounds.
“I have a lot of really good memories from my time in Dallas, I still have friends there, former teammates there,” Zimmerman said. “And I've played more games on that field than any other in MLS so I'm excited to compete against old teammates, but I think more importantly when you play a former team your desire to win just goes up and up. There's always a chip on your shoulder, and I think that's no different in this case. I'm excited that we get to return to action against a former club.”
Something To Prove – Smith was satisfied with Nashville’s foundational pieces through the first two matches of the MLS season. Nashville SC limited two recent MLS Cup finalists in Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers to very few scoring chances. Against Portland, Nashville SC held the Timbers to two shots on target, both in the first half.
However, Smith will now be looking for more growth out of his team, particularly in the attacking third, and he thinks his players are hungry to prove themselves.
“Hopefully, as we get back into the swing of things, because we've missed out on playing time and the opportunity for individuals to build relationships and maybe find that bond and understanding that the very best front lines have, that confidence of getting our first win and points does a world of good for players, especially forwards, hitting in the back of the net regularly,” Smith said. “I'm very happy where the group is at, and a lot of the guys that that I'm seeing every day are going to get their opportunity to show what they’re about, at whatever point that is.”
